Overview of a Strip & Sanitise
With a good thorough nappy wash routine, your nappies shouldn't become smelly or stained or in need of fix-ups. However, if you've purchased secondhand nappies, or your wash routine has gone all wrong and your nappies have ingrained stink that you just can't kick with regular washes, you can give them a really thorough clean known as a 'strip and sanitise'. A strip and sanitise is the Aussie version of 'strip and bleach' from Fluff Love University and is a 3 step process:
1) A "strip" soak, originally designed to remove minerals from hard water, but also fabulous for soaking away stains and loosening ingrained soiling, followed by a good rinse out
2) A sanitise using bleach or high temperatures to remove bacteria and neutralise any residual ammonia (note: high temperature is not safe for waterproof nappy outers or elastics)
3) Wash wash wash to make them sparkle!
History of the Strip & Sanitise
There have been many editions of the strip and sanitise process over the years. The original version comprised detergent, washing soda and borax, and it worked well but the products were comparatively difficult to find and it lacked stain removal power. A new version was developed using Napisan (Vanish/Sard/DiSan/any laundry soaker stain remover powder) and detergent, which had two added advantages: the products were easy to find and it worked more effectively for heavily stained nappies. A few years later a front loader edition (now behind a paywall) was created based on the Napisan + detergent recipe.
This version is the original Napisan + detergent soak recipe that I came up with back in my days as nappy laundry lady. I've used it so many times and have found to be really reliable and effective on even the stinkiest nappies. I prefer the soak version to the front loader version as I found that for me, the front loader version never properly kicked the stink like a good soak does. In addition, bleach is not safe for many modern washing machines, as it can damage the sensitive electronic components.
Which detergent should I choose?
When you're doing a strip & sanitise, it's a good idea to use a really effective mainstream detergent such as Omo Ultimate liquid, Radiant liquid or Biozet powder. Plant based and eco detergents just don't have the same cleaning power. Refer to the Choice laundry testing results for a list of effective, high quality detergents (aka the winners!).
You can use any brand of laundry soaker powder, they all have the same active ingredient.
As always, you need to take responsibility for your own nappies and your own laundry, so be sensible when using any kind of online laundry instructions. If your nappies are old or are holey or otherwise starting to fall apart, be aware that they may not survive a heavy duty clean or 60 deg washes.
Do I strip inserts and covers?
If you're strip & sanitising your own nappies, you probably don't need to do anything to the nappy covers/shells until Step 3. Nappy covers/shells aren't absorbent so don't hold stink in the same way as an insert and will come up fine with a couple of good washes.
If you're sanitising secondhand nappies, you might like to add them in at Step 2A. Do not use sanitise 2B on nappy covers/shells.
Don't forget to wear your gloves and open your window for good ventilation. Water is a drowning hazard so ensure your kids are safe and can't access the laundry. You're ready to get started!
Step 1: Strip Soak
For a standard laundry tub (~40L), you'll need:
1/2 cup (125mL) of Vanish/Sard/Earth Choice/Home Brand/whichever brand you like laundry soaker powder
1/4 cup of powder detergent or a full cap/60mL of liquid detergent
Add the Vanish and detergent to a sink full of hot water (max 60 deg C) and mix until dissolved.
Add your inserts/prefolds/wipes/whatever you are stripping. Don't put in nappy covers/shells. Soak for 6-8 hours or overnight if you started in the evening.
Sometimes you may need to strip All In One nappies, or PUL-backed inserts such as Grovia, or elasticated inserts such as bare + boho among others. If you're doing this, don't leave them in the soak for more than 4 hours. Better safe than sorry.
Drain your laundry sink and transfer your nappies to the washing machine, give them a normal length wash on any temperature (max 60 deg C) with no additional detergent to rinse out the strip mix.
NB: For a 10L bucket, use 2 tbsp of Vanish and 1 tbsp of detergent.
NB: For a Strucket, use 1/4 cup of Vanish and 2 tbsp of detergent
Step 2: Sanitise (option A or B, not both!)
Option A: Bleach
Bleach is the most effective way to neutralise residual ammonia if the inserts are still a bit smelly after the strip. Use a 4% (42g/L) sodium hypochlorite liquid laundry bleach from the laundry section eg. White King, Power Force liquid bleach, Home Brand liquid bleach.
Use 20mL of bleach per 10L of water.
NB. For a 10L bucket, use 20mL of bleach
NB. For a Strucket, use 40mL of bleach
NB. For a laundry sink, use 80mL of bleach.
Add your inserts (and shells if you're sanitising secondhand nappies) and soak for 30 minutes. Then drain, transfer to the washing machine and repeat the same no-detergent wash cycle as you did after the strip. This will ensure the bleach is thoroughly rinsed out. Go to step 3.
Option B: High temperature wash
You can use the 90-95 degree cycle on your front loader. Simply add the inserts (or if they're still in the machine after Step 1 rinse out just leave them there), add detergent to match the load size and run the cycle. Go to step 3.
Step 3: Wash
Run your usual main wash cycle (eg Cottons/Heavy/Whites/whichever is the longest one) at 40-60 deg with detergent to match the load size. You choose the temp here, some brands suggest you keep a lower wash temperature and that's probably worthwhile if they don't think their PUL will withstand a 60 deg wash. Other brands are fine for you to wash at 60 deg so go ahead and do that if you prefer.
Repeat a second time using a little less detergent as the nappies are quite clean by now. Add an extra rinse if things have been a bit sudsy or your bub has sensitive skin.
Dry and you're done!
With a good thorough nappy wash routine, your nappies shouldn't become smelly or stained or in need of fix-ups. However, if you've purchased secondhand nappies, or your wash routine has gone all wrong and your nappies have ingrained stink that you just can't kick with regular washes, you can give them a really thorough clean known as a 'strip and sanitise'. A strip and sanitise is the Aussie version of 'strip and bleach' from Fluff Love University and is a 3 step process:
1) A "strip" soak, originally designed to remove minerals from hard water, but also fabulous for soaking away stains and loosening ingrained soiling, followed by a good rinse out
2) A sanitise using bleach or high temperatures to remove bacteria and neutralise any residual ammonia (note: high temperature is not safe for waterproof nappy outers or elastics)
3) Wash wash wash to make them sparkle!
History of the Strip & Sanitise
There have been many editions of the strip and sanitise process over the years. The original version comprised detergent, washing soda and borax, and it worked well but the products were comparatively difficult to find and it lacked stain removal power. A new version was developed using Napisan (Vanish/Sard/DiSan/any laundry soaker stain remover powder) and detergent, which had two added advantages: the products were easy to find and it worked more effectively for heavily stained nappies. A few years later a front loader edition (now behind a paywall) was created based on the Napisan + detergent recipe.
This version is the original Napisan + detergent soak recipe that I came up with back in my days as nappy laundry lady. I've used it so many times and have found to be really reliable and effective on even the stinkiest nappies. I prefer the soak version to the front loader version as I found that for me, the front loader version never properly kicked the stink like a good soak does. In addition, bleach is not safe for many modern washing machines, as it can damage the sensitive electronic components.
Which detergent should I choose?
When you're doing a strip & sanitise, it's a good idea to use a really effective mainstream detergent such as Omo Ultimate liquid, Radiant liquid or Biozet powder. Plant based and eco detergents just don't have the same cleaning power. Refer to the Choice laundry testing results for a list of effective, high quality detergents (aka the winners!).
You can use any brand of laundry soaker powder, they all have the same active ingredient.
As always, you need to take responsibility for your own nappies and your own laundry, so be sensible when using any kind of online laundry instructions. If your nappies are old or are holey or otherwise starting to fall apart, be aware that they may not survive a heavy duty clean or 60 deg washes.
Do I strip inserts and covers?
If you're strip & sanitising your own nappies, you probably don't need to do anything to the nappy covers/shells until Step 3. Nappy covers/shells aren't absorbent so don't hold stink in the same way as an insert and will come up fine with a couple of good washes.
If you're sanitising secondhand nappies, you might like to add them in at Step 2A. Do not use sanitise 2B on nappy covers/shells.
Don't forget to wear your gloves and open your window for good ventilation. Water is a drowning hazard so ensure your kids are safe and can't access the laundry. You're ready to get started!
Step 1: Strip Soak
For a standard laundry tub (~40L), you'll need:
1/2 cup (125mL) of Vanish/Sard/Earth Choice/Home Brand/whichever brand you like laundry soaker powder
1/4 cup of powder detergent or a full cap/60mL of liquid detergent
Add the Vanish and detergent to a sink full of hot water (max 60 deg C) and mix until dissolved.
Add your inserts/prefolds/wipes/whatever you are stripping. Don't put in nappy covers/shells. Soak for 6-8 hours or overnight if you started in the evening.
Sometimes you may need to strip All In One nappies, or PUL-backed inserts such as Grovia, or elasticated inserts such as bare + boho among others. If you're doing this, don't leave them in the soak for more than 4 hours. Better safe than sorry.
Drain your laundry sink and transfer your nappies to the washing machine, give them a normal length wash on any temperature (max 60 deg C) with no additional detergent to rinse out the strip mix.
NB: For a 10L bucket, use 2 tbsp of Vanish and 1 tbsp of detergent.
NB: For a Strucket, use 1/4 cup of Vanish and 2 tbsp of detergent
Step 2: Sanitise (option A or B, not both!)
Option A: Bleach
Bleach is the most effective way to neutralise residual ammonia if the inserts are still a bit smelly after the strip. Use a 4% (42g/L) sodium hypochlorite liquid laundry bleach from the laundry section eg. White King, Power Force liquid bleach, Home Brand liquid bleach.
Use 20mL of bleach per 10L of water.
NB. For a 10L bucket, use 20mL of bleach
NB. For a Strucket, use 40mL of bleach
NB. For a laundry sink, use 80mL of bleach.
Add your inserts (and shells if you're sanitising secondhand nappies) and soak for 30 minutes. Then drain, transfer to the washing machine and repeat the same no-detergent wash cycle as you did after the strip. This will ensure the bleach is thoroughly rinsed out. Go to step 3.
Option B: High temperature wash
You can use the 90-95 degree cycle on your front loader. Simply add the inserts (or if they're still in the machine after Step 1 rinse out just leave them there), add detergent to match the load size and run the cycle. Go to step 3.
Step 3: Wash
Run your usual main wash cycle (eg Cottons/Heavy/Whites/whichever is the longest one) at 40-60 deg with detergent to match the load size. You choose the temp here, some brands suggest you keep a lower wash temperature and that's probably worthwhile if they don't think their PUL will withstand a 60 deg wash. Other brands are fine for you to wash at 60 deg so go ahead and do that if you prefer.
Repeat a second time using a little less detergent as the nappies are quite clean by now. Add an extra rinse if things have been a bit sudsy or your bub has sensitive skin.
Dry and you're done!
This strip water is from secondhand nappies that were discoloured. They had previously been washed on 2 x Cottons cycles in a front loader with Omo powder, and then machine bleached. This is the water after they were strip and sanitised using this method.
I've purchased secondhand nappies- do I need to strip them?
If the nappies are a little discoloured, have stains, smell less than perfect or you want to give them a super thorough clean, then definitely strip them. The water in the photo above is from preloved nappies that were washed twice with Omo powder and machine bleached, before they were given a full strip & sanitise using the recipe outlined above. You can see that machine washing is no substitute for a good soak! They came out sparkling after a strip & sanitise.
Can I strip & sanitise all-in-ones?
You can strip & sanitise all in ones. To prevent damage to the waterproof PUL outer, simply limit the time in the strip mix. Around 4 hours in the strip mix has worked well over many years of testing.
Can I strip & sanitise fitteds?
You can strip & sanitise fitted nappies. To prevent damage to the elastic, avoid sanitise 2B (heat treatment).
Can I strip dirty/smelly clothing? Do I need to sanitise?
You can strip other items of laundry too- just ensure you can use laundry powder and stain remover powder on them (eg no wool/silk/delicates). There's no need to sanitise, so the process will be strip, rinse, wash. Be sure to follow the care instructions on your items.
Do I strip and sanitise if my nappies come out of the wash stained?
No, you don't need to strip and sanitise in this case. You can re-treat the inserts by soaking them for a few hours in Vanish/stain remover soaker, spraying stain remover, scrubbing with Sard soap or whichever treatment you prefer and then send back through the wash. You might like to tweak your wash routine- check out our routines for front loaders and top loaders.
I have suds galore in the washes after the sanitise. What do I do?
You can use less detergent in these washes, as the nappies are already quite clean by this stage. Try the amount for a normal load rather than a heavily soiled load. You may also like to run an extra rinse & spin at the end to ensure all of the detergent has been removed.
Can I add other laundry to the post-sanitise washes?
Sure. Best add them to the last wash as the nappies will be really clean by then. Beware adding dark coloured or strongly coloured items as the dye can transfer to your beautiful white nappies.
My bleach has 2% (or 2.1g/L) sodium hypochlorite, how much do I use?
2% is half of the strength of 4% bleach, so you'll need to double the quantity.
Can I use Milton?
Milton liquid is 1% bleach, so you'll need to use 4x the quantity to make the same concentration.